Talking about the new challenges he has to deal with when reprising his role as Luke Skywalker, 'The Last Jedi' star reveals that he is not allowed to keep the script overnight.

Dec 13, 2018

AceShowbiz -
Mark Hamill is under more pressure than ever to learn his "Star Wars" lines in record time as he's no longer allowed to keep scripts overnight.

The veteran actor, one of the sci-fi franchise's original stars, has been forced to adapt to changing times as security measures for the latest Disney instalments continue to tighten year after year in a bid to avoid plot leaks.

However, Mark reveals the restrictions put in place for the forthcoming "Star Wars Episode IX", in which he reprises his role as Luke Skywalker, are worse than ever.

"They're going to fly (the rewrites) over with somebody from the company (producers Lucasfilm/Disney)," he explained to Entertainment Weekly.

"They're going to come and give it to me and wait for me to read it before I give it back. So no pressure! You can't even keep it overnight. But that's the way it is now."

The new rules are vastly different from the ones Mark had to abide by when he was preparing to shoot 2017's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi", because at that point, he was still permitted to hold on to some pages of the script and make notes, while locking it in a safe overnight to prevent it from getting lost.

Reflecting on how far the script security has come since the first movie in 1977, Hamill, 67, said, "I remember back when I read the first 'Star Wars' (script), I was like, 'Wow, that's the goofiest thing I've ever read.' I gave it to my best friend to read, and I said, 'What do you think of it?' He said, 'It's really wild, it's crazy, can I give it to (friend) Meredith?' 'Sure, go ahead.' It went around to all my friends."

"Of course back then nobody cared," he added, joking, "Nowadays it's like working for some secret deep state government organisation, like being in the CIA."

"Star Wars: Episode IX", directed by J.J. Abrams, is set for release in December, 2019.